BENTONVILLE, Ark., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As part of its
continuing commitment to offering sustainable products at affordable prices to
its customers, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has partnered with Toshiba America
Information Systems, Inc., to develop the first RoHS (Restriction on Hazardous
Substance) laptop available in the U.S. retail channel. In 2005, Wal-Mart
announced a corporate goal of taking a leadership role in business
sustainability, with a focus on climate, waste, and the products it sells.
RoHS (Restriction on Hazardous Substance) is an environmental directive
adopted by the European Parliament that will become effective on July 1, 2006
in European markets. The directive restricts the use of certain hazardous
substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Although there is no
requirement in the United States for manufacturers to achieve the RoHS
standard, Wal-Mart has taken the proactive stance of encouraging computer
suppliers to restrict the quantities of hazardous substances in their
products, including lead, cadmium, mercury and other substances identified by
the RoHS directive. The Toshiba laptop is the first of such efforts. All
personal computers sold at Wal-Mart will meet the RoHS standard by July 2006.
"Wal-Mart is bringing best practices to the U.S. for the betterment of the
environment and our communities. Partnering with Toshiba to make this product
available in the U.S. is the first of many upcoming initiatives and
demonstrates our commitment to working with our suppliers to find innovative
ways to protect our customers and the world we live in," said John Kooy,
Wal-Mart's vice president of electronics. "A growing number of our customers
are committed to protecting and sustaining our environment, and we felt it was
important for Wal-Mart to move quickly to offer them a laptop that meets their
needs, while exceeding U.S. environmental requirements."
According to Green Star(R), a non-profit organization that encourages
businesses to practice waste reduction, energy conservation and pollution
prevention, each computer or television that is discarded contains 4 to 8
pounds of lead. Due to this, consumer electronics constitute 40% of the lead
found in landfills.
"We also take very seriously Wal-Mart's leadership position as a
retailer," continued Kooy. "Collaborating with Toshiba to make this computer
available is a direct outcome of the work of our collaborative Sustainable
Value Networks, which bring together Wal-Mart, environmental organizations,
suppliers and other thought leaders from government and academia to find ways
to incorporate sustainability into the supply chain."
The Satellite A55-S1064 includes a 1.60-GHz Intel(R) Celeron(R) M
Processor(1) 380, 512 MB DDR2 memory(2), 40 GB hard drive(3), a 15-inch
TruBrite(TM)-enhanced display, a CD-RW/DVD-ROM optical drive and built-in
Atheros(R) 802.11 b/g wireless(4) LAN. In addition, the Satellite A55 comes
with a one-year standard limited warranty. It will be priced in most markets
at less than $700. For more information on this product please see
http://www.walmartstores.com.
"The launch of an RoHS-compatible notebook computer sold through the
world's largest retailer is part of Toshiba's overall commitment to the
environment," said Jeff Barney, vice president of marketing, Digital Products
Division (DPD), Toshiba America Information Systems. "Toshiba DPD believes
strongly in ensuring all our notebooks are compatible with the RoHS standard."
The partnership with Toshiba is one of many initiatives that reflect
Wal-Mart's commitment to leadership in business sustainability. The scope and
scale of the company's business presents great potential to effect positive
change. Through its business sustainability program, Wal-Mart takes advantage
of and creates opportunities both to influence its own operations and to lead
change in the business world at large.
As part of its mission to improve the quality of life for people around
the world, Wal-Mart has committed to taking a leadership position in the areas
of climate and renewable energy, waste reduction and recycling, and the
development of sustainable products.
Learn more about Wal-Mart's business sustainability initiatives at
http://www.walmartstores.com.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood
Markets and SAM'S CLUB locations in the United States. The company also
operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South
Korea and the United Kingdom. The company's securities are listed on the New
York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. Online merchandise
sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
About RoHS
RoHS is Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament with the goal to
reduce the use of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium and both
polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame
retardants in the production of new electrical and electronic equipment. This
regulation goes into effect on July 1, 2006 in European Markets. There is no
such requirement for the United States of America.
About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS)
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS comprises three divisions: Digital
Products, Digital Solutions and Storage Device. Together, the three divisions
provide mobile products and solutions, Internet access plans, communications,
storage and imaging products and services. Products include industry-leading
portable computers, projectors, DVD/CD recordable products and hard disk
drives, telephony products, digital imaging systems, wireless solutions and
services.
TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of
information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an
independently operated company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of
Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology and integrated
manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems.
Toshiba has global sales of over $52 billion and more than 300 subsidiaries
and affiliates worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site
at http://www.toshiba.com.
(1) Processor. CPU performance may vary. See Processor Legal Footnote at
www.info.toshiba.com.
(2) Memory. Memory size may vary. See Memory Legal Footnote at
www.info.toshiba.com.
(3) Hard Disk Drive Capacity. Hard drive capacity may vary. 1 Gigabyte
(GB) means 1000 x 1000 x 1000 = 1,000,000,000 bytes using powers of
10. See Hard Disk Drive Capacity Legal Footnote at
www.info.toshiba.com.
(4) Wireless. May require purchase of additional software, external
hardware, or services. Transmission speeds may vary. See Wireless
Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com